Savannah Bakker

1St Grade
Writing Lesson Plan
CAEP K-6 Standards

LESSON RATIONALE
During first grade, students are encouraged to think creatively and are learning how to
communicate their thoughts effectively. Ideas are a powerful piece of the writing process, so it is
important for students to be taught how to use their ideas in engaging ways.

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal(s)—
- Students will be able to describe their ideas through writing.
- Students will be able to explain why ideas are important in writing.

B. Objective(s)—
- After the read-aloud and mini lesson, students will use a topic sentence, three details/ideas,
and a concluding sentence to describe their cat character.
- After the read-aloud and mini lesson, students will be able to effectively communicate their
ideas through drawing and writing.

C. Standard(s):
- I.W.3.2 – Develop a topic sentence or main idea, provide some facts or details about the
topic, and provide a concluding statement.

II. Management Plan-

Time:
- Anticipatory Set (3 minutes)
- Mini-lesson (5 minutes)
- Read-aloud (4 minutes)
- Provide information/model (5-7 minutes)
- Response/activity/conference (20 minutes)
- Sharing (3 minutes)
Space:
- From the anticipatory set up until after the read-aloud, students will be on the carpet in
the back.
- After the read-aloud, students will go back to their desks for the modeling and response
activities.
- Conferencing will take place at the round table in the back of the room/informally at
students’ desks
Materials:
- Square Cat by Elizabeth Schoonmaker
- White board/marker (in front of room or a small one)
- Writing/Drawing Paper for students

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 - Pencils/colored pencils/crayons
- Class list with big spaces for writing conference notes
Expectations and Procedures
- I expect students to be engaged and actively involved at appropriate times. Students
should participate when asked questions or prompted to talk to a partner.
- During instruction, students should be in “learning mode” (facing front, sitting correctly,
and quiet).
- Students should use their creativity and do their best on their writings.
- Students are expected to stay on-task and focused

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

III. Adaptation to Individual Differences and Diverse Learners—
- I will be using management strategies the students are familiar with (learning mode, you
have 5…4…3…etc.)
- Students are familiar with a lesson formatted like this, so they should be comfortable with
the process.
- I will be writing some examples/ideas on the board so students can have a few in addition
to the ideas they think of.
- The classroom teacher will also be available to provide assistance and answer questions.
- Several learning styles are supported throughout this lesson. Students are able to discuss,
write, and draw their thoughts/ideas.
- For the students who tend to struggle with staying on-task, I will check in with them
more frequently and provide encouragement.
- Early finishers can do a free-write.

IV. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

Anticipatory Set:
- I want all of you to take a look around the room at all of your friends. As you can see,
some of us have similarities, yet we are also all unique in different ways.
- Can anyone give me an example of a difference that they have from somebody else in the
class? *I will allow time for a few students to share ideas*
- You all had great IDEAS about similarities and differences you can see in our class.
- Just like the small pieces make up the puzzle, we are each an important part to this class.
Even though we might be different, we are all important in our own unique ways.

Purpose Statement:
- Today we are going to talk about ideas, and why they are such a powerful part of the
writing process. Ideas are important because they are the parts of our writing that let us
communicate what we are thinking. The little details and ideas make up the whole
writing!

Minilesson (Whole Group)

- As I said before, today we are going to be talking about ideas, and how to write about
your ideas.

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 - An idea is a thought or a collection of thoughts that you have/create in your mind. Some
ideas are big and some ideas can be small. But regardless, all ideas are important and
powerful.
- You guys have already worked before on turning your thoughts and details into real
sentences, which is one of the trickier parts of being a writer, but it is so important!
- Ideas are what make writing interesting, so when you are thinking of them, you should
always try to be creative, so your audience enjoys reading your work.
- Next I will get the book out and get ready to start the read aloud.
- I have a book that I am going to read you that is one of my favorites. This book is written
by a woman named Elizabeth Schoonmaker. As I read, I want you to listen to all of the
ideas and details she has included in this book, and be thinking of your own ideas as we
go through it.
- This book is called Square Cat, and the main character Eula is very different from the
other cats around her, just like we are different than our other friends in this class.
- I will read Square Cat
- I will ask a few questions after I finish the book, such as, How did you like this book?,
What ideas did you see within the book?, What made Eula so unique?, etc.
- I will allow students to turn and talk to their neighbor and a few students can share their
ideas out loud
- After this, I will transition students back to their desks and get them into “learning
mode.”

Provide Information (Model)

- I will be writing my own ideas on the board throughout this process.
- Today you are all going to be creating your own cat, like our friend Eula in “Square
Cat.” When you write, you are going to have a topic sentence, three ideas/details, and an
ending. Then you will draw a picture of what your cat looks like.
- Your cat can be unique just like you, so it can look however you want. Your cat can be a
square, like Eula, or it can be any shape you choose.
- I am going to show you some of my ideas up on the board.
- I will write about my cat’s physical appearance, what they like to do, etc. This will be
modeled on the board, so students can see how to do it, and get some ideas. I can draw a
quick, basic picture as well.
- As a class, we will brainstorm a list with some ideas of characteristics for our cats, and I
will put them on the board for students to reference as they work.
- Now that I have shown you how it should look, it is your turn! I have put a piece of paper
on each of your desks. Make sure you get a topic sentence, this could be introducing your
cat or telling us that your cat is unique, you get to be creative and decide what ideas you
want to tell your audience.
- Don’t forget three details and a closing sentence as well. I will be calling some people to
conference about their writings throughout our time.
Conferences:
- While the students are writing, I will be pulling individual students to conference. I will
start by working with the students who I know might struggle more with this task, so I
can help them get going in the right direction.

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 - I will work with as many students as I can, and if I do not have time to meet with every
student, I will walk around and observe as they write to gauge understanding.
- When students come over to conference with me, I will ask them to read me their ideas,
and give them pointers or ideas based on their unique needs. I will also be taking notes on
a class list that has large spaces for notes on each student.

Sharing (Whole Group):

- After students have had the chance to finish up their writings, I will have them turn and
share their ideas with the person next to them. This is a chatty bunch, so many of them
like the opportunities to verbally process information.
- I will allow a few students to share theirs for the class, based on a random stick drawing
(if they want to).
- Their cat writings will also be hung up somewhere in the classroom or hallway.

V. Check for understanding.

- Throughout the lesson, I will be providing opportunities for students to discuss and
answer questions, which will allow me to informally assess them.
- I will also be walking around/conferencing with students during their individual work
time, which will allow me to individually check students’ understanding.
- At the closure of the lesson, I will use the thumbs up/down tally in order to see if students
feel confident in their idea-making skills.
- Writing notes on my class list will let me visualize and remember student progress
- The writings themselves are a more formal way of assessing

VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure

- Alright, now that we have gotten to hear a few of our friend’s ideas, I want everyone to
hold their thumbs in front of their chest. Give me a thumbs up if you feel confident about
writing ideas and sentences, and a thumbs down if you feel like you still need some more
practice or another conference.
- Thank you all for working so hard and being such good thinkers today! You guys came
up with some great ideas and I can’t wait to read the rest of them!

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

- I will be walking around and taking notes/conferencing with students as a formative
assessment.
- The closure thumbs up/down activity is another informal assessment.
- The students’ actual writings are the more “formal” way of checking for student
understanding.

REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?

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 7. Were the students engaged with the topic/activity?
8. Were all students able to finish their writing?
9. Did I have enough time to conference with students, or would we have benefited from
more time?

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6 Revision Date: October, 2018